1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to improvements in a golf club head and more particularly to a golf club head equipped on its striking face with a ceramic face plate in order to increase the flying distance of a golf ball.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, wood clubs and plastic clubs are fitted on their respective striking faces with face plates to thereby protect the faces and increase the flying distance of the ball struck. The essential property for the face plate is that the plate should be harder than the club head and can impart strong elastic resilience to the ball and that, when it is fixed to the head, it should have good affinity to the head. Materials which have been employed as a face plate include such materials as glass fiber reinforced polyester resin (FRP), polyamide resin (nylon), acrylbutadiene styrol copolymerized resin (ABC resin), ivory, etc., singly or in combination, but they have various advantages and disadvantages. For example, in the case of the above plastics, they have the advantage of being light in weight, low in cost and excellent in affinity to a club head, but have the disadvantage of stress deformation resulting in the face part between the face plate and the ball gradually becoming deformed. This is particularly increased by mud and small stones coming between the face part and the ball during play. The deformation eventually causes the club to be unfit for long use. With regards to ivory, it is great in resilience and energy transfer to a ball, but has the disadvantage of being heavy and expensive and, in addition, lacking affinity to a club head.